No Longer Charmed
by Tiggy the Hopeless Romantic
Summary: Elphaba left not only Glinda, but the rest of the Charmed Circle behind when she left Glinda in the Emerald City. What happens in that five year span before she appears again? What happened to make them the people they eventually become? Bookverse.
1. Abandoned

I meant to wait to begin posting a new story, but I was too excited for this. And I also tend to loose interest in things if I put it off.

This is very different than my normal stories. It's the story of what happens to the rest of the Charmed Circle in the five year period between Elphaba leaving Glinda, and Fiyero rediscovering her. I'm trying very, very hard to not contradict the original novel. A good goal, but easier said than done because there are some inconsistencies in the book itself. So I'm going to try. The next quesion I see coming is: _Pairings? _To that I have to say, it's all canon. But that is a bit of a fun game, because everything is so vague in the novel, anyway. So be ready for anything!

Also(I'll shut up soon, promise. You all know I'm given to babbling by now), I know this is short. I meant for it to be that way. There is a method to the madness, promise!

* * *

Normally Elphaba Thropp stood out in a crowd. Not today, what with her dark cloak and dress and her green skin. She simply became a shadow of the Emerald City, fading into the background. Glinda watched the spot where she had been, staring after her, feeling a sob wrack her body. Elphaba had not cried, but Glinda was crying enough for the both of them.

Had it not hurt Elphaba so much? Did it all mean nothing to her? Was she glad to be rid of Glinda, like one was glad to be rid of a pesky insect? Had she known she would not return to Shiz? Had she been planning on it? Glinda touched the not-particularly-fresh orange that she had left her with. Annoyed, she chucked it out the carriage window, hearing a rather satisfying _shlop _as it crashed into the ground.

She leaned back against her seat, her sobs quieting. The other passengers were all looking at their feet, silent. They all wanted to know the gossip, the intrigue. Something bad had happened, that was for sure. But what? What was the blonde girl's story? Who was the green one? What had been the story behind that kiss?

Glinda herself didn't know even the simplest answers. She shivered; it wasn't very cold, still autumn. But she had grown used to feeling the warmth of Elphaba beside her. Elphaba usually would nod off against her shoulder. She never slept at night, probably afraid of what was to come, worried some fiend would attack them during the night. She had allowed Glinda to keep watch in the less threatening day.

She wrapped her arms around herself, wanting to go home. Not that she was so sure what that even meant, anymore.

She had no idea what she would tell the others. Boq and Fiyero and Nessa and Avaric... She could already see Nessarose's look of annoyance, of disappointment. Nessa would blame her, surely. Nanny would kill her.

How could she tell them all what they had done? It was bad enough that Elphaba had ran off. How could she tell them they had met the Wizard? Tell them Elphaba had left because she refused to study at Madame Morrible's school. She felt Morrible was manipulating them, controlling them. Glinda didn't know. She felt like she knew nothing at all. Could Morrible be controlling her? It was possible, in the way anything was possible. How did Elphaba even know that she wasn't still doing Morrible's bidding? Maybe she wanted the girl to run off to the Emerald City on some suicide mission.

She wondered if she would ever see her friend again. _Friend_... that didn't seem the strong enough word. _Sister_wasn't right- Glinda had no sisters, but doubted that relationship would be anything like how she felt about Elphaba. _Lover_crossed her mind, but that was wrong, too. There was love there, at least on Glinda's part. But none of those simple words held the right meaning. The relationship was an enigma. Glinda couldn't understand how anything in the world could be like it.

She didn't understand how she could ever be the same again. She closed her eyes, imagining she could smell the scent of coconut oil, mint and lavender mixing, with a bit of crisp apple mixed in- the scent Elphaba always had.


	2. The Circle Has Broken

All of them(all of them that were left, that is) sat in a loose half circle. Madame Morrible was in the middle. "... if Miss Thropp should come to any of you, you should report her. She is considered dangerous and mentally unstable. She has also prooved to be manipulative, nearly taking one of you with her." Morrible paused to glance at a depressed Glinda. Her gaze softened, giving her a sickeningly sweet expression, turning to Nessarose. "I hope she is recovered quickly. I'm sure all will be well if she is taken home, and allowed to have a quiet life. Surely the hustle and bustle of social life was too much for her." Morrible's true opinion hung in the air -_Elphaba is a lunatic, and should probably be locked away in an attic, hidden from sight. _"You all are now dismissed."

They all filed out of the room, into the hall outside of Morrible's office. For a long while, no one said anything, uncomfortable. It was Avaric who eventually broke it. "I knew it, you know. I knew she had to have a screw loose. She wasn't normal, and I'm not even talking about how she appeared more vegetable than human." Shenshen and Pfannee both tittered in agreement.

"Shut up. Nothing was wrong with her, we all know it. Don't act like you didn't know her before." All were surprised- it was Boq who had spoken. Boq, who was normally so mild mannered. He and Avaric had always been friend, and Boq had never disagreed with him with such force. Their friendship had survived on passive disagreement.

Avaric stared at him, more surprised then anyone else. "You can't say there was nothing peculiar about her. Her aversion to water? I mean, what the hell _is_ that?"

"An allergy. That's not her fault."

"It's fucking weird." He rolled his eyes at seeing Boq rush to Elphaba's defence. "Why do you care so much? It's like you had a crush on her or something."

"She was my friend." Was all Boq said, walking out the door. Avaric didn't stick around for very long, either. All of the others stared at each other, awkwardly. No one would meet Glinda's eye. They all wanted to know exactly what had happened, but they were all still to horrified to hear it.

Nessa was pacing, with Nanny's help. Eventually, she said, "If they do find her, if I ever see her face again, I'll... I'll kill her! She abandoned me without even saying good-bye. I'm her sister!"

All looked to Glinda to see if she could give some sort of input. She shook her head, eyes watering.


	3. Memories and Lies

"No! Don't _touch_ that! What in Oz's name gives you a _right_ to?" It was over a week later when Glinda came home to find Nanny throwing Elphaba's clothes into a trunk. Glinda was positively shaking as she stared at the older woman. "Don't you dare move her things!" She covered her mouth to try to quiet herself; she hadn't wanted to rant and rave at the poor old woman, who actually hadn't done anything wrong.

"Glinda, please, dear. I just thought all of you would be more comfortable if I sent these things back to Frexpar. I thought Nessie could move into this room."

Nessarose had slowly, awkwardly made it to the door at hearing Glinda scream. "No Nanny, don't."

"Nessie, I-"

The younger girl shook her head. "Don't move Elphaba's things. I don't want to sleep in her bed, or live in her old room. And if it comforts Glinda to still have Fabala's things around, let them comfort her. I'm fine where I am."

Nanny shook her head, saying that if the girls were happy, they could do whatever they wanted. Glinda was near tears as she slowly unpacked Elphaba's things. She hung the dresses back in the closet, through the books back on the desk. Nessa stood, leaning against the door. Glinda gestured for her to sit on her own bed... neither wanted to touch Elphaba's, it was still unmade from where they had left in a hurry.

The girls had never gotten along. Elphaba had been the glue that had held them together, and only still on the edges. They would pick at each other, constantly. But on this one matter, they agreed. The room felt sacred, neither wanted to change it. "What did she say to you?"

"She told me to be strong... she..." Glinda shook her head, deciding to not say what exactly had happened. How could she tell prim, proper, pious Nessarose that she had kissed her older sister? That it was more than a friendly kiss, or Glinda thought it was? Or Glinda wished it were. Or feared it was.

Nessa looked into her lap. "Did she say anything about me?"

Glinda considered lying, telling Nessa that Elphaba had sent her love. But she couldn't do that. "No, no she didn't."

"Of course she wouldn't." They lasped into silence, trying not to look at the other bed, with it's stark white sheets and ugly grey blanket.


End file.
